In this cross-case study, we examined how two reading specialist candidates negotiated their yearlong practicum experiences in relation to university coursework and their previous teaching experience. Data sources included interviews, weekly teaching logs, and field observations. Findings reported in extended vignettes reveal how both interns were…

This paper explores the experiences of two high school newcomers who chose to participate in an internship program, assisting elementary school students, some of whom were also emergent bilinguals. This study used ethnographic and visual methodologies to explore young people's evolving understanding of teaching, learning, and languaging as members…

Successful educator preparation programs rely on partnerships with K-12 schools. The literature emphasizes the importance of strong partnerships, but illustrates limitations in creating and maintaining partnerships that meet the needs of all parties--the partnering school and its students, the college/university and teacher candidates. The purpose…

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the self-efficacy beliefs of 25 literacy specialist candidates in three key leadership areas before and after 15-week internships in schools. The three leadership areas, identified by university faculty as important to the leadership role of literacy specialists in schools today, are: 1)…

Acadia University, a small liberal arts institution, has for over 15 years, offered a unique practicum experience for its teacher interns enrolled in the preservice Bachelor of Education. Students travel to Shanghai, China for a period of four months to teach English as a Second Language in school classrooms ranging from grades kindergarten to…

At a time when there is great emphasis on teacher quality and the preparation of excellent teachers, this portrait explores the process of one such aspiring teacher, Katie, in the fall of her full-year student-teaching internship. Her mentoring teacher, Kristen, is a veteran fifth-grade teacher at a small elementary school in New Hampshire who…

Education in the United States is a different experience depending on where students live and go to school. The achievement and opportunity gaps illuminate disparities in the quality of education students of color and students living in poverty receive. When research is embedded within the practice of teaching, or practitioner inquiry, it has…

This article focuses on analog and digital game play and the challenges it poses to future teachers in an educational context. For that, a review of the literature on the subject was made, addressing the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. We refer to the game as a pedagogical resource, its relation to the teaching-learning process, and its role in…

In this study, student teachers explored four data collection methods for data feedback to improve their teaching skills in Science and Technology [S&T]. The aim was to verify whether these methods were suitable for collecting data concerning their teaching skills during S&T activities in their internships. They analysed the collected data…

This paper discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic can shift the conversation of paid and unpaid placements from an economic to a pedagogical and goodwill perspective. During the pandemic lockdown many placements were cancelled or postponed. Some continued as agreed but with students working from home, while other placements became unpaid. We build on…

Family engagement is a reciprocal relationship between educators and families that supports whole child development. In response to the unique contexts and situations created by the COVID-19 pandemic, a faculty member in the School of Education at Hunter College, City University of New York (SOE), and families that had opted in to 100 percent…

The purpose of this collaborative action research study was to determine whether practicing instructional coaching with teacher candidates (TCs) improved coaching skills of principal candidates (PCs). Findings indicated that PCs improved their coaching skills. Findings illustrated ways to improve principal preparation in an instructional…

This study analyzed pre-service teachers' ability to identify and implement cognitive levels. The framework involved the use of the Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) cognitive levels combined with the Virtual-level (CPVA-levels). The V-level involves applets and apps, and three digital-dynamic sublevels: virtual-Concrete, virtual-Pictorial…

In many teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education in the United States, pre-service teachers receive mentoring and constructive feedback during their internship placement from an experienced supervising teacher and a university coordinator. Often the feedback loop is closed by asking interns, 'was this useful?' To better…

Teacher candidates consistently indicate field experiences are the most impactful aspect of their preparation for teaching. In this study we explored elementary teacher candidates' perceptions of elementary K-6 grade level organization (departmentalized or self-contained) during their teacher preparation field experiences at two universities in…